GLOSSARY

Official Terminology

BotS

Abbreviation of Battle of the Smithsonian. Also sometimes typed as NATM 2, NATM2, or "the second film/movie".

KRA

Abbreviation of Kahmunrah Rises Again. Also sometimes typed as NATM 4, NATM4, or "the fourth film/movie".

NatM

Abbreviation of Night at the Museum. Also sometimes typed as "the first film/movie", and refers to the franchise as a whole.

SotT

Abbreviation of Secret of the Tomb. Also sometimes typed as NATM 3, NATM3, or "the third film/movie".

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Fandom Terminology

Era 1

The "Active Period" of the franchise, when the live-action films were being produced. This era is a snapshot of the time period, filled with a writing style of unabridged wish fulfillment and slang we no longer use, like "plot bunnies". Years range from 2006 to 2014.

Era 2

The "Hibernation Period" of the franchise, or the first half of the nearly eight-year gap between films. In 2015, international releases of the final movie were made available. During this time, a metamorphosis happened: Stories were mostly oneshots at the beginning; but towards 2020 the stories began to become longer-form tales, likely as a result of Lightning in a Bottle and other long-form stories. This is not to disregard the long-form fics posted during Era 1. Years range from 2015 to 2020.

Era 3

The "Revival Period" of the franchise, spurned on by the 2020 lockdown. During this time, people retreated into nostalgia and rediscovered the series. A revival of the fandom came with it, with new art and fics being published. Years range from 2021 to the present.

Era 4

The "Musical Period" of the franchise, which will begin when the NatMusical is released.

Rare Pair

A ship that's not often seen portrayed in art or writing. In our Fanfic Library, the Search counts a Rare Pair as any ship with 15 fics or less.

Canon Pair

A ship that's seen on screen or in writing. In most cases, they're a background detail in fanfiction. Unless a fic is about the canon ship, they are not counted in the tags in the Fanfic Library.

Disambiguation: Bootlegs, References, and Fan Merchandise

Bootleg: A piece of merchandise that is automatically generated by a shop, blatant copies of genuine merchandise, and content farm slop. Uses of the franchise by entities such as pyramid schemes will go here.

References: Mentioning, parodying, or acknowledging the series in a piece of media or advertising.

Fan Merchandise: Items made by members of the public, usually hosted on Redbubble or Etsy. Usually includes hand-drawn fan art, but can also include crafts and accessories. The key here is originality.

Disambiguation: Newsreels

Includes TV segments, podcasts, reaction videos, reviews, podcasts, and audio-only interviews. Does not include video interviews (Interviews page), social media posts (Promotions or Interviews, depending on their purpose).